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Encouraging the Servant’s Heart

Volunteering, and Christian Service

The Watering Place: Come and be Filled with Encouragement for Homeschooling.

by Wynne and Harriet Yoder

We find the major reason to encourage your children to have the heart of a servant is in Matthew 20:28. It says, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Though He could have claimed His kingship, He chose to be the servant and to give up His life. Likewise, we are called to be servants and to give up our lives—to lay down our desires and plans and take up the Lord’s. As always, when you follow scripture, there are costs and benefits.

Encourage the Servant Heart with Volunteering and Christian Service.

Encourage the Servant’s Heart in Your Children

  • Encourage children to help others by volunteering.
  • Volunteering encourages them to develop a “servant’s heart”.
  • Another benefit is that teens who volunteer have an easier time of finding their first job because they have “experience” with good references.
  • Find volunteer opportunities outside of your church, homeschool, friends group—go to the “marketplace”. It’s harder, but it opens doors to sharing the gospel. It is also a gentle way to expose your somewhat sheltered children to the world.

Ways to Reach Out to Others

  • Volunteer at a local hospital or nursing home.
  • Help mothers by playing with their children. Pre-teens can do this while the mother is at home doing a task that is difficult to do while watching babies. This supervised babysitting experience can lead to references for paid babysitting jobs!
  • Raise funds for missionaries or missions trips. Watch your church bulletin or newspaper for opportunities to help other groups.
  • Make meals for the sick or elderly.
  • Offer house cleaning to someone who needs help.
  • Mow the lawn, shovel snow, take out the trash, or perform similar chores for someone who is not able, etc.
  • Offer to drive seniors to appointments or help shop for groceries and help carry the groceries inside and put them away if needed.

Links to Organizations Where You Can Make a Difference

A Word to the Wise

One thing in our experience was at times leaders were asking our teens to do too much. Why? Because they were happy to do it, didn’t complain, and actually followed through with the tasks.

For example, the corn in a small cornfield was offered to missions if the church youth group would pick it. After a bit of picking (filling the large bushel bags with corn, our daughters noticed that the other youth weren’t doing any of it. They had picked way more than their fair share, so they came home. Other times, they were asked to above and beyond at the church. As parents, we had to say no to protect them. In both situations, it gave the other teens the opportunity to serve.

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Copyright 2023 Wynne and Harriet Yoder, All rights reserved
Lamp Post Homeschool
1741 Tallman Hollow Road
Montoursville, PA 17754
570-435-2804
LampPostHomeschool.com

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